Friday, 27 October 2017

On a camping trip in October, on the shores of
Sligo Bay (Republic of Ireland), I photographed this character. Apologies for
the poor quality, but he is quite a distance out, plus I was coping with Storm
Brian. The Metal Man is, in some ways, the opposite of a traditional
lighthouse. He stands 4.3 metres tall and he’s dressed like a Naval officer.
His weight is 6.3 tonnes and he points out to Mariners where to sail, in a deep
channel of water. He has done so since 1821! And this particular day, he had a
feathered friend perched on his head!

I have also included photos of a small, disused
lighthouse (on an island) and a taller lighthouse in action (quite a distance
out to sea), both visible from the same place from where I photographed
the Metal Man.

Lee Maginnis (Northern Ireland)

Metal Man, Rosses Point, County Sligo, was originally
located where Blackrock lighthouse now stands, but the merchants of Sligo
decided Perch Rock was better. An acetylene light was established 6th
October 1908 and was converted to propane on 9th October 1979.
(Information courtesy of John Eagle & the Commissioners of Irish Lights)

Oyster Island, Rosses Point, County Sligo: Two
lights were established 1st August 1837 forming leading lights from
Sligo Bay into the Channel to Sligo Port. They were replaced by a sectored
temporary light 15th February 1891. The discontinued towers were
taken down in 1893. The North tower was rebuilt and became a rear leading light
with the Metal Man in 1932. The light was converted from acetylene to propane 9th
October 1979. (Information courtesy of John Eagle & the Commissioners of Irish Lights)

Blackrock, County Sligo, is located in Sligo
Bay. It was converted into a lighthouse from an unlit beacon in 1835. The tower
is 25m high, white with a black band. The light is 24m above MHWS and has a
range of 13 nautical miles. It has been unwatched since 29th
November 1934. (Information courtesy of John Eagle & the Commissioners of Irish Lights)

I, Geoff Scott, have always had a vague,
non-professional interest in lighthouses.
My long-suffering wife Janet has navigated using them over the
years. We have spent time in Dinard,
Britanny where there are plenty of rocks and lighthouses to enjoy. We have enjoyed quite a lot of light aircraft
flying around Europe and, a few years ago, I decided to enter the
“Dawn-to-Dusk” flying competition. I
chose to fly at low level around the lighthouses on the coast of France. This took a great deal of interesting
studying and planning and the exercise was completed in two halves in 2015 and
2016. A relative who is a whiz with
websites set up one for me to illustrate the flights:
tourdespharesdefrance.com. We are adding
more photos as we go along; for example, we missed taking photographs in Ouessant
and environs in 2015, so we returned twice this summer (2017).

Thursday, 12 October 2017

Tour America's only steam-powered lighthouse tenderLearn to tie knots like a sailorTurn the wheelFind out lighthouses and buoys help ships find their wayHear about life and work on board a Coast Guard shipDiscover how steam made the ship go

CAPE MAY - Lighthouses and select museums throughout the state will host the Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey weekend on Saturday, Oct. 21 and Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017.

Challenge yourself to visit each participating lighthouse over the weekend as you tour the state to help raise funds for continued lighthouse preservation.

These majestic beacons have played an important role in New Jersey's history, guarding mariners and protecting our coasts for three centuries. Lighthouses serve as a reminder of American ingenuity while honoring the values of safety and heroism. Visit the lighthouses and museums on the Challenge for an opportunity to learn more about state and national maritime history.

Begin the Challenge at any of the participating 11 New Jersey land-based lighthouses, two life-saving stations or one museum, and purchase a souvenir lanyard ($2).New this year:obtain a pin unique to each site to commemorate your participation in the event. Also new this year: East Point Light and U.S. Life Saving Station 30 are both newly restored and open to the public.

Hours of operation for each lighthouse can be found at participating lighthouse and museum websites and at www.lhchallengenj.org.

The Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey is also on Facebook where lighthouse fans can communicate with other fans.

The following lighthouses and museums are participating and invite the public to take advantage of this special weekend to support and preserve the maritime history of New Jersey: